How to change your own tire

Nothing puts the damper on a road trip like a flat tire. Many of you out there have AAA or some form of roadside assistance, but what happens if your stuck on the side of the road with no cell reception? Unfortunately these scenarios don't just happen in horror flicks. But never fear, we're here to teach you a few easy steps to change your own tire.

First, pull safely off the side of the road, giving your call every sign of distress. Put your car in park, preferably with the emergency brake on and put on your hazard lights. Make it obvious you are there to give yourself the most amount of safety precautions. Next, get out all the tools and spare tire from car. If you do not have emergency tools or a spare tire, invest in that ASAP!!! The most basic tools you need are lug nut wrench and a jack. Remove the hub cap and loosen lug nuts without actually removing them. Jack up your car far enough off the ground so that the fully inflated tire can replace the old flat one.

Now comes the actual change. Remove the lug nuts and flat tire and place the spare tire in alignment with the holes with the air valve facing you. Secure the flat tire with the lug nuts and replace the hub cap. Lower the vehicle with the jack.

Now that wasn't so bad was it??

For more information go to:
http://automotive.hardwarestore.com/learning/how-to-change-a-tire.aspx

Dangerous Debris: Avoid it!

There are many dangers on the roadways, one of which is debris that does not belong on the road. Whether it fell out of a cargo truck, is left over from a previous accident, or a stray piece of garbage that somehow made it into the road, debris poses many problems for you.

Eighty to ninety fatalities per year can be attributed to crashes caused by debris in the road; unacceptable for a preventable action. You can make the first step in preventing these crashes by securing your own personal belongings to your car, and ensuring that your vehicles doors are all properly shut.

Be a vigilant driver in order to avoided hitting debris. If you see a debris along the roadway or highway, report it to make sure action is being taken to rectify the situation. When avoiding debris in the way make sure to check before moving into another lane instead of having a sort of "knee jerk" reaction. Swinging into the next lane can cause a fatal crash.

Be safe out there!

For more information on debris safety, check out:
http://www.aaaexchange.com/main/Default.asp?CategoryID=3&SubCategoryID=4&ContentID=313

How Technology is Helping to Defeat Drivers Falling Asleep at the Wheel

Many Americans have admitted to driving drowsy, and even falling asleep at the wheel. This raises alarms for many reasons, the first being safety on the road.

The easiest way to prevent this road hazard is to not drive while tired in the first place, but unfortunately, as life happens, sometimes sleepiness grabs hold of us while at the wheel.

New vehicle technologies are hoping to add that extra step in preventing fatal car accidents by adding alarms if the vehicle starts to drift off the road as would happen if the driver drifts off to sleep. Some vehicles will even restrain seat belts tighter at these warning signs in hopes to jerk the driver awake.

As you make your next car purchase, keep these technologies in mind as they can help ensure a bright future.

For more information check out: http://moneywatch.bnet.com/economic-news/blog/cars-money/car-safety-new-systems-could-save-drowsy-motorists/1878/

Collision Warning Technology: Too Robotic?

New burgeoning automotive technology involving radar-based safety has many wonderful benefits, but has us asking: will it lead to other dangers?

Distracted driving is a huge problem these days, and these car safety-moniters can help, but may also go a little bit too far. With the extra assurance some people may throw all caution to the wind and rely too much on their vehicle instead of actually paying attention themselves. No matter how great technology is there is always a potential for error or technological failure, so the humans behind the wheel still need to be vigilant.

Now 5 percent of vehicles in North America including these radar-based safety features and the market of sales for these vehicles is expected to grow exponentially. Automakers are still fine-tuning this technology and hopefully will be able to find a happy medium between extremely safe and not having a completely robotic car.

For more info check out: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101101/OEM06/311019987/1182